Keep your 200 Nintendo Points for something else.

Those in love with the history of the era will love the detail within Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV: Diplomacy and Strategy Expansion Pack Bundle, but to those that the history is meaningless the absolute volume of names and relationships is a waste of time. Furthermore, while this has some interesting concepts, it is just too bogged down with minutia and lost in its own stats. The series could really need an overhaul on how to make things more streamlined.

Game & Watch: Judge is fun at the most basic level, but it has really not aged well at all.

Perhaps Jupiter should have stuck with Picross and continued gathering partnerships with other franchises for Picross spin-offs like the recent Picross: Lord of Nazarick. Fans of Diner Dash will enjoy this blatant clone, but based on the asking price this just is not worth the investment. Check out the far superior Overcooked instead.

Tough game to rate overall, as there was some care and time that went into this; it just went to all the wrong places. Players looking for a strategy/tactical experience are going to be absolutely repulsed by the mix of "walking sim"/WRPG that leaves much of the core experience behind absolutely. The battles are simplistic, and the few redeeming features are buried beneath too many complaints and issues. There is simply very little strategy in this game that occurs, or is interesting to think about.

Doctor Cat shows promise but ultimately fails at the execution. The puzzles themselves are fine, but unfortunately issues with controls ruin the experience completely. It is also unclear why a premise was set for Doctor Cat with what feels like little to no resolution.

Besides a neat level editor to share stages with friends, there is nothing to be seen here that hasn't been seen countless times before - and more polished. While fun for half an hour, Urban Trial Freestyle 2 has no lasting appeal on its own, but is truly reliant on the level editor and user generated content. Other than that, there are better options out there if looking for a game like this.

Nintendo Switch owners looking for their next platforming adventure need not pay this game any attention. Though it is pretty to look at and plays well, it is so forgettable that anything done right is overwhelmingly overshadowed by how unenjoyable and uninspired it is. From its level design, enemy encounters, and platforming sequences, to its lead character, collectables, and soundtrack, there is nothing worthwhile in Stitchy in Tooki Trouble. Just go buy Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.

There are moments where it feels good (which we hope can be expanded on for a decent follow-up, or be applied to another game entirely), but mainly it leaves a bitter taste.

NEKO-NIN exHeart 2 isn't notably awful, but it's unmemorable and bland nonetheless. Due to the experience's predictable nature, there's a lack of engaging plot points. It looks and sounds nice, but the writing simply isn't enough to make the game stand out. It's hard to recommend this to anyone outside of the target demographic, but if you are in that demographic and liked the first game then sure, give this one a look. Otherwise, though, you won't lose much by skipping this.

You don't have to figure out too much, but it's a twenty hour long story, so it should keep you going for a bit if you can put up with the confusing storyline and translation issues.

Repetitive, dry, and inexplicably uninteresting, Travis Strikes Again is a massive misstep for a series with an otherwise solid track record. It's not so much the near complete abandonment of what made No More Heroes so appealing that plagues the hack n' slash, but the all-around drop in quality from the original duology.

KnifeBoy oozes atmosphere, combining elements of trippy surrealism, with a weird, post-apocalyptic kind of setting… but it is otherwise a boring, and heavily unpolished piece of software - one where the love of its creator still manages to shine through the cracks, but that's not enough. Still worth a go for those who have a thing for the unique and the bizarre, but there are far better metroidvanias out there.

BlazBlue: Clone Phantasma is a piece of junk. Shovelware with the BlazBlue name emblazoned on it.

Not only is Exorder's campaign and storytelling uninspired, and even annoying at times, but, in its attempt to be an extremely simple TBS that can be enjoyed by everyone, it just ends up being bland and forgettable.

With gameplay best suited for a mouse and keyboard, a frankly unflattering aesthetic, and truly dreadful presentation, Unexplored: Unlocked Edition comes off mostly unengaging. To put it bluntly, the core gameplay loop simply isn't strong enough to carry a procedurally generated adventure. On top of that, the procedural generation, while fairly extensive and capable of leading to genuinely unique sessions with each playthrough, isn't enough to make up for how lacklustre Unexplored feels overall.

Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story nails the Cantonese-flavoured, paranormal horror aspect, but fails as an adventure game. Apart from the bugs, untrustworthy mechanics that can erase an hour of progress just because something didn't work as intended, and the lack of a decently told story, this is mainly hard to recommend because its main gameplay loop revolves around running back and forth between the same handful of rooms, trying to "convince" an item to be picked up, by first finding a reason to… even though you've already done so.

Witch Thief understands the importance of working with 3D space in a difficult genre. Beyond that, however, it's hard to look at as anything more than an interesting curiosity. The randomness of something as essential as an extra life makes every attempt feel like it is being influenced by outside forces. It's also hard to get excited about fighting the same dolls over and over again. Then there are the bosses, which are either destroyed in seconds, or chased around the room for several minutes. There's no solidly enjoyable middle ground.

Gravity Badgers had the potential to be a really fun game; unfortunately it is not.

Disappointingly, The Fall Part 2: Unbound fixes none of its predecessor's issues while chipping away at its greatest strength: the narrative. It fails to follow up on the first part's themes and plot in a cohesive or gripping manner, instead meandering with new characters and concepts that accomplish far less than those introduced in the original. Taking into account that it's far longer with an inconsistent pace all around, The Fall Part 2: Unbound feels like an enormous misstep after a flawed, but worthwhile, first third of a trilogy.

Everything is not awesome. Everything is not even okay. Everything is just meh. Tt games haw finally done what a very vocal part of their audience wanted. They changed things. Drastically. And in doing so, they've taken such a huge step backward that this feels more LEPIN than LEGO. A heavily flawed shell of what the franchise had become.

The story is intriguing enough for what it's worth, and the lonely atmosphere does stand out as particularly strong, but The Bunker mostly meanders for two hours before rushing to a conclusion devoid of thematic or narrative substance.

Those looking for a "traditional" video game, with levels to beat, enemies to fight, and overall goals that must be achieved, should stay as far as possible from The Longest Day on Earth. This is more like a short movie, which just happens to ask for a little bit of interactivity. Sadly, it's painfully boring, and the "storytelling" fails to evoke whatever feelings it wanted to evoke.

Not a good start for Mordecai and Rigby's first video game.

Heartworm has a strong atmosphere, greatly enhanced by an excellent use of PS1-style graphics. And that’s it. That’s the only thing good about this indie survival horror experience. A survival horror experience where the only true horror is the boredom that will have to be endured while the protagonist runs around aimlessly (without anything posing any real threat). It's all topped off with occasional not-exactly-that-deep thoughts on life and death.

Under the Warehouse has a nice, surreal, "is it all a dream?" vibe, but that's all it has, to be honest, because gameplay-wise it's nothing more than a two hour-long chore of fetching items for NPCs again, and again, and again… and occasionally solving a simplistic puzzle or two.

Somerville's greatest flaw is just how boring it is. It is more of a walking-sim than a platforming-adventure game. Reactive objects are also colour-coded yellow, so there is never any question about what to do. This robs any sense of discovery in a title that is already so tightly focused on pushing players forward. The terribly slow walking speed will pad out Somerville's length to around four to five hours, when there is maybe only two hours of actual substance. Traditionally, these kinds of games are short but make up for it with excellent pacing. Somerville feels like a flatline for most of the entire run.

The concept of taking care of a bird of prey during a rebellion is highly appealing for bird lovers. Unfortunately most expectations of bird care and the intriguing story of Falcon Age were not met. What could have been an immersive game ported smoothly from VR, was the exact opposite with poor game mechanics, a weak ending that made playing this feel pointless and a complete waste of time. What works in VR does not always translate into an ordinary non-VR title, and Falcon Age should have remained a VR exclusive and not be released on the Nintendo Switch.

The controls are an absolute mess and it's a shame, as Surgeon Simulator CPR is a funny title that is great entertainment for team of friends. While the aim is to "save" patients, doing the opposite is what eventuates most of the time thanks to some unintentional, but humorous moments. With a better control scheme, more responsive controls, and less glitches, Surgeon Simulator CPR would be an easier title to recommend on the Switch. However, beyond the poor controls, there is some enjoyment to be found here for those who don't take these too seriously.

Glover was an ambitious and unique concept back in 1998. Ultimately, it's where the game should remain. It is a shame – with improved controls and tweaks to the design, it could have shown the concept in its best possible light. The badge of a "remaster" really does not qualify as the Nintendo Switch edition feels very much a cash-grab that's building on Nintendo nostalgia. Unless you've got a fondness for Glover, it's difficult to recommend diving into this Nintendo 64 gem in 2025.

Although the controls aren't exactly ideal, Golem Gates is a thoughtfully crafted title that blends RTS gameplay with some solid deck building. Forging new Glyphs, reorganising a deck to make it more optimal, or simply experimenting with deck types fit so naturally in the RTS genre that it's at times shocking how well realized all the core concepts are. Unfortunately, the title is also plagued by terrible performance issues that didn't seem to be present in its initial PC release back in 2018. Load times are often long, lag is a problem, and this is prone to downright crashing should players spend too much time customising their deck... in a title all about deck building! This is a legitimately good RTS. Just not on PS4 for now.

It's simply a game, and one that doesn't offer much to do.

A super-calm mix of fishing, cooking, business management, and town-restoring RPG, Moonglow Bay is a decent idea that wasn't executed that well, and is thus very boring and repetitive. It also struggles with making you care about anything. Players do things just to do them, with the tiniest sense of progress possible. Take your fishing rod and fish somewhere else.

With no shortage of zombie games to purchase or browse through in the store, it's hard to understand what void Yet Another Zombie Defense HD is trying to fill. It's a top-down twin-stick shooter that doubles as a base-defence zombie game... however it doesn't do anything to push the boundaries that other titles have already established. It is fun to play in short bursts, and its longevity is only extended by finding some local or online people to play with, but even still, the many shortcomings are impossible to ignore. While Yet Another Zombie Defense HD didn't have to bring anything new to the table, it still needed to be a zombie-stew worth eating and unfortunately, despite having some potential, it's still missing quite a few ingredients to make this experience worth anyone's while.

Torn between its two sides - the arcade-y, and the puzzle game one - Dodo Peak just doesn't manage to please. The level design is more annoying than challenging, with the gameplay leaning very heavily towards trial-and-error. This isn't badly made… just not as well thought-out, probably.

Hometown Story is charming on first glance, but there are a lot of problems that overshadow it.

Samurai Warriors 5 is a minimised musou that's been stripped back to its most fundamental parts. Perhaps this deconstruction was meant to revitalise interest in the genre, but it sadly leaves it feeling flat and mediocre. Omega Force hasn't forgotten how to make a musou, though; that much shines through in the combat which at times shows flickers of promise. There's just not enough to see and do here, and it becomes repetitive far too quickly. This, coupled with the fluctuating Nintendo Switch performance, makes it difficult to recommend.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Stealth Force Edition is unfortunately stricken by a strange control scheme, an extremely short campaign and a repetitive nature, despite a fairly interesting scenario and solid, glitch-free gameplay.

It's just as well this is a freebie with Steins;Gate Elite orders, because it would be hard to argue a case for parting money with for it. Whatever you do, don't play this before the visual novel. No one deserves to have the real adventure spoiled by this pointless, but harmless, retro abridged version of events.

Max: The Curse of Brotherhood has great level design that squanders its puzzles, beautiful artwork that wastes its characters, and gameplay that ranges from boring to being a bit broken. Truth be told, though, it does manage to pull you back in just as you were getting ready to leave. Sadly, it's unlikely anyone will have the patience to see it all the way through, as so much of the game is spent fighting the bad puzzle design and the atrocious platforming.

Kamiko costs about $4.99 and can be beaten in under an hour. Visually, it is nothing impressive or interesting... There are far better looking pixel art games out there on the Switch, such as Blaster Master Zero. The core mechanics aren't broken or anything, it is completely serviceable, but it just lacks anything of interest to make Kamiko worth any time at all.

If Crossroads Inn was an Early Access title, it would be one of the most promising ones in the management sim genre. Unfortunately, the team behind it made the wrong move, and decided to destroy months of work by releasing its product without first completing development. Due to the lack of any competitors in the 'medieval inn simulator' arena, some may find it easier to accept its many issues. Most, however, are advised to wait for some - hopefully inevitable - renovations.

Safe House is an unfortunate case. Its core concept and chief gameplay hook are not without potential, which is what makes playing this so frustrating. The foundation to make a solid little spy-themed version of Papers Please is there, but none of the other necessary components made it into the game. A sparse presentation, coupled with an increasingly apparent lack of polish, restricts any potential this game had, instead reducing it to a fairly forgettable experience.

Altogether, Devil Engine is an intriguing STG that's held back by rough fundamentals. Given enough tuning, it could turn out to be welcome entry in any fan's library. There's plenty of content, and the two playable ships are impressively realized. However, the weak arsenal is a constant nuisance. Attempting to destroy massive bosses or even moderately-sized foes with a pea shooter isn't fun. There are options for quickly eliminating adversity, but getting past their constant waves of fire is also an ordeal. Simply put, it feels like this is trying too hard to break its players.

It is hoped a Nintendo Switch 2 version of Pinball FX is in the works because Tomb Raider Pinball suffers from the graphical downgrade when compared to its other system counterparts. Sadly, the tables themselves are disappointing, with Adventures of Lara Croft being a hugely frustrating pinball experience that can be difficult to get to grips with. Secrets of Croft Manor fares more positively, but for such an iconic franchise, this pack should have been much more than what it is.

There are three problems with Crysis Remastered: first, the game was never really that good, second, this isn't a remaster, and third, it's actually a heavily downgraded, flawed port. Sure, it's still an enjoyable FPS to kill some time (and other beings) with, and it's kind of impressive that you can now carry a photorealistic jungle with you, but it's still hard to stomach the audacity of calling this a remaster; in other words, an upgraded version of the original.

Beat the Game is the living embodiment of style over substance. A colourful sandbox with wacky characters and quirky music can only take a game so far when it lacks in every other regard. Gameplay consists entirely of finding sounds for a live concert with little payoff due in large part to the static premise and short play time. Cutscenes are well presented when they occur, but the absurdist approach to storytelling is pure nonsense, devoid of any actual meaning. Beat the Game fails as a video game, as a work of art, and as a demonstration of what can be done in the medium. It's little more than a glorified tech demo for a far better game.

Hakoniwa Explorer Plus isn't an extremely niche comedy ARPG. It's simply boring. The - otherwise welcome - low-key vulgarity, and sexualised monster girl enemies is just a thin veil, behind which hides a plethora of issues. This is repetitive, boring, and uninspired. The soft, curvy, and bouncy body of a cute lass is in no way a bad thing… but there is no reason to try this game out just for that.

Breathedge is a game at odds with itself. It tries to tell a compelling story, but the core narrator drones wearisome and unfunny dialogue; the world is beautiful and begging to be explored, but only ever an inch at a time; environments are curated with dark humour, but the gameplay loop doesn't allow time to take it in; and, worst of all, it undercuts players that commit hours to these systems by replacing them with a grim excuse for a walking simulator. For a title set in the vast expanse of space where anything is possible, it just isn't worth the time.

rooMaze is good... for something still in the beta phase of development. The simple first-person dungeon crawling gameplay it has, which is served along some appealing, Minecraft-y voxel visuals, could definitely provide some great, rogue-like hacking and slashing fun with a little more care, but since its developer has given up on it, this care won't ever arrive.

Without the problems that stem from the, evidently, rushed production, The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep is a mediocre-to-good dungeon crawling RPG that's reminiscent of the genre's humble beginnings. With those problems added, however, this is downright annoying, and even unplayable.

Detective Dotson would be a neat pixel-art screensaver that depicts the vibrantly coloured, densely populated world that is India. As an actual interactive experience? It’s a boring fetch quest and mini-game heavy kind of mess hiding behind a pretty face.

If looking for a simple port, as well as a bundle of the Shenmue duology, you are in for a treat, despite the fact that the enhancements of this version are underwhelming. Those expecting an action-adventure that is as good as it is popular, though, get ready for a rude awakening, because, nostalgia, and pioneering innovations aside, this just isn't fun anymore.

A game that started with a good idea but chose to build this upon a bad concept.

It is easy to see what Fortuna Magus was aiming to do. It tried to be a short and sweet JRPG, something that is always appreciated, since the biggest flaw in the genre is that games sometimes feel padded. However, it maintains the same ratio between padding and the actual story as in longer games in the genre. Worst of all, it does not give important plot points and characterisation the space they need. Combined with a poorly implemented currency that makes characters way more powerful than they should be, it removes the spotlight from the wonderful combat system. Fortuna Magus is sadly a hard pass, except for those who feel the need to play any retro JRPGs on the market. Although there are many great ones published by Kemco alone, one should never have to dive this deep into the barrel for something new to play.

Legna Tactica's biggest flaw is that it simply cannot compare to the 3DS' already strong strategy library. The combat lacks the depth of Fire Emblem, the story doesn't hold a candle to Devil Survivor, and the price is much higher than either Mercenaries Saga title, despite being similarly generic. The actual campaign is tedious and the maps are reminiscent of Final Fantasy Tactics in the worst ways possible. There's no thought behind any mechanic, leading to a distinct lack of identity, where every possible positive quality can be attributed to a far better game. Legna Tactica may work on a technical level, but that's hardly a reason to justify a full playthrough, let alone a purchase.

A visual treat in search of better gameplay, Itorah is an action-platformer that wears a metroidvania skin. The eight or so hours needed to reach the end of this journey are boring, the main heroine feels clunky to control, and the frame rate will make you nauseous. The strongest moments here will come from admiring still frames, not playing through them.

At the end of the day die-hard pet simulator fans will enjoy the game, young children might get a kick or two out of it for a little while but we can't see it sticking in the long haul.

Even though it is aimed at children, Penguins of Madagascar is far too simple, repetitive and unimpressive to warrant a purchase even for the most eager of Penguins fans.

Pixel Paint is a tool only the experienced should really consider. The lesson it teaches is to work within confined limitations. Unfortunately, newcomers to pixel art will likely find themselves spending more time trying to interact with the app than actually creating their masterpieces. Perhaps it shouldn't be as simple as drag and drop, but it should feel a lot more fluid than it does here.

Rodea the Sky Soldier is simply a game that really needed more time, and a course correction. A lot of promising concepts are seen and experienced throughout, but the flying and Sonic homing-style combat would have been executed so much better with a bit more polish.

Megalo Polis works... and that's the only good thing about it. There's absolutely no strategy involved, and the comedy expected from something dealing with the US elections, is restricted to a two-second smile-worthy art-style - you'll have more fun watching the actual elections.

The game does have some potential to host a well rounded sandbox experience but fails through what seems like an experimental, first-stab-at-it approach with little in the way of refining and testing.

Iro Hero already has its own identity, so there's no need to stray further from the pack by implementing so many strange design-decisions. Having to sit through several minutes of filler just for another crack at the real obstacle is not fun or challenging. This shmup is only recommended for those out there willing to put up with a lot of tedium.

While Cyanide SA may have had the best intentions to ship a complete and fully-immersive racing experience that perfectly replicates the highs and lows of the Tour de France, it is evident that the 2019 edition needed a lot more time in the oven. The loading screens take way too long, the game constantly crashes mid-race, and the fast-forward option causes an obliteration of the in-game graphics. Of course, this was probably rushed out to try and coincide with the grand race that this title is based off, but it does ruin the overall experience. For cycling purists who just want a game to race in, this is fine, but its issues will test even those with a lot of patience.

Groove Heaven is clearly one for the kids, but even then, it's far too short of an adventure that lacks variety in its levels and music tracks. The presentation is lovely and the idea is welcome, but it's difficult to recommend this rhythm title over some of the greats already available on the Nintendo 3DS.

For four times the price of the eShop game, this is definitely not worth the investment. Stick to the original or opt for something far better for creative minds, New Art Academy.

While any content added to Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV is obviously welcomed, the Diplomacy and Strategy Expansion Pack sadly falls far short of what is to be expected, considering the significant cost of the additions. With just two headline gameplay features and no change to how the base game operates, this is very much a disappointing development. It would be great if Koei took stock at this point on just where the series is at in comparison with some heavy competition in this genre, and went all out to make the RTK franchise what it deserves to be.

Forget the utterly nonsensical story, the unbalanced combat mechanics, the aggravating insta-deaths, the glitches, bugs, translation errors, and so on. Bright Memories: Infinite's biggest issue is that it's not a complete package. It's a two-hour tech demo, and not even an impressive one. The general idea behind it is great (one-woman army who is both a gunfighter, a ninja, and a high-tech wizard), but the execution is subpar to say the least.

The groundhog day style repeating story was so promising and yet it has been produced in such a terrible fashion. There are plenty of good elements to the dungeon crawling, yet the levels themselves are dull and frustrating. A big disappointment.

This is the Zodiac Speaking sets itself up as a moody and mature take on a series of still unsolved murders, but the game in practice lacks a considerable amount of finesse. Beyond running poorly on the Nintendo Switch - to the point where anyone who exclusively plays undocked should avoid a purchase outright - the script is as overindulgent as it is clunky and what few attempts there are at building tension are downright comical. This is the Zodiac Speaking might have been worth suffering through the flaws if the game had tighter controls and ran better, but the Switch release simply isn't worth the money.

Like many games that are smaller budget, when a game has remotely fancy graphics, gameplay tends to almost always suffer. This is no exception, while the space survival idea is cool, from frustrations in the UI, to constantly glitches and freezes it’s hard to even see the game at its best when so many other things get in the way.

Barbie and her Sisters: Puppy Rescue would have done well as a Facebook game or smartphone app. However, as a console title, it suffers from downtime and repetition.

For fans of NISA/NIS games in general, this is a complete let-down. None of the systems work well or are even that interesting. The story is bland, the combat unnecessarily complex and unfulfilling, and the lack of conventional progression against scaling difficulty results in an experience infuriating all the way around. Nearly everything is far more complex than it needs to be, from issuing battle commands, to simply trying to know what is being equipped or what effect is has. If one had to choose between one word to describe the whole experience this would be a battle between 'frustrating' and 'disappointing.'

Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee adds one more dimension, but throws what made the original a classic out of the window. Not only this doesn't have the beautiful visuals of the PlayStation duology, or its fantastic atmosphere and narrative strength, but it's also far from a fun, cinematic puzzle-platformer - in fact, it's not even a puzzle-platformer, but just a collection of boring tasks sewn together, and masquerading as an adventure.

A decent Super Smash Bros. clone that clearly improves on the first iteration, but Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 is rife with problems on Nintendo Switch. The 30 frames per second gameplay, unbelievable load times, poor presentation, and glitches that force reboots of the game mean this isn't going to be a joyful time unless playing on one of the more powerful systems. Underneath the numerous issues, there is fun to be had here, and crossplay will at least help ensure match-ups when battling online, but it is difficult to recommend this version of the game.

Good, fun games are good, fun games, and even with glitches and the numerous issues this trilogy brings, that's what these still are. However, seeing the state of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition, there just isn't any way to let Rockstar off lightly here. This is one of the most successful video game companies in the world, with goodness knows how much raked in from GTA Online, so there can be no excuses to have loaned out these iconic games to a small team with a poor track record and showing absolutely no respect for its own creations. Fifty pounds is a big ask for such old games that have been what one might say "demastered", and even with numerous future patches, these may never be the upgrades they should have been, but Switch owners new to this trilogy can find plenty of entertainment - and not just because of the glitches. This is still a hard sell, though, with the advice being to hold off for a major sale.

Despite what seems like a sincere attempt at trying to stray away from the typical licensed game pitfalls at first, Cars 3: Driven to Win strays off course almost immediately and winds up just another disappointing movie tie-in. The amount of content packaged in almost feels illusory at times, as the presentation gives the impression of a deeper experience. The Hall of Fame mechanic promotes tedium instead of overcoming challenge, and a lack of online multiplayer severely holds the content back. Tracks with no discernible identity and mechanics that feign complexity only serve to make Driven to Win feel even more like a blatant advertisement. With Mario Kart 8 already out for the Switch and better than ever, there's little reason to give Lightning McQueen the time of day.

With Minecraft available on both Wii U and Nintendo Switch, it's difficult to work out where exactly Cube Life: Pixel Action Heroes belongs on the Wii U eShop. It tries to do too much and doesn't succeed immensely at any of it, making it little more than a watered-down clone with little lasting appeal for anyone outside of those wanting a local multiplayer shooter - and, even then, it's lacking.

It is tough to recommend this DLC, especially at the price point it is offered at. Most of it simply feels tacked on, and the lack of a full overhaul of the advisors is a major missed opportunity. The Humanoid species pack lacks perhaps what would be most obvious: more human faces. Even beyond all this, though, the general feeling for it could best be summed up with: Is this it?

RPG Maker MV has everything it takes to make an RPG. However, the complexity makes it unenjoyable and often frustrating, especially for players that are not well-versed in the ways of creating RPGs. It is simply too much effort to create a single map, not because of the work needed to design it, but because of endlessly trying to figure out how to achieve certain goals. While the simple portability of this title, due to the nature of the Nintendo Switch, is definitely a positive, this title cannot easily be recommended to newcomers in RPG creation.

My Big Sister is the adventure genre at its simplest form. The solution to each "puzzle" is so evident that the only challenge here will be the struggle to stay awake. The horror-esque plot, and mature themes explored could help a lot, but they are handled in a manner that the average player will be left scratching his/her head about whether this is a dry comedy with some darkness thrown in, or a dark fantasy story coupled with some low-key humour.

Unfortunately, the problems that the self-implemented limitations add are extremely problematic and make this a title that is very difficult to recommend to anyone due to the long downtimes in-between when the player is allowed to do something without being hit by a kill-screen for building their tower a bit too high.

A distinct lack of game modes, no means of playing offline, and even the inability to make a private game with friends overshadows all of Rumble's innovations. Faster paced gameplay centred around a single worm is a breath of fresh air - and implemented quite well - but it's held back by a stripping away of Worms' most identifiable qualities: turn-based gameplay that emphasised strategy, destructible environments that continually redefined stages, and a never-ending stream of charm that kept matches as entertaining as they were engaging. Worms Rumble resembles its predecessors superficially, while failing to carve out a clear identity by recycling what little content there is in-game ad nauseum. Rumble will almost certainly be updated with new modes over time, but franchise veterans are bound to be disappointed and newcomers are better off waiting until then.

The flaws of the free, mobile version have been carried over to the Nintendo Switch port, and as such, destroy what little fun could be had by this word-scramble title, the reason being that, rather than the ability to craft words, Spellspire is all about grinding.

FMV games were never that great to begin with, so there was never much hope for American Hero, especially since it was actually an unfinished project. Even worse, the joy in low-budget movies (interactive or not) is their unintentional comedic side, and frankly, this doesn't have much cheese. Pick any bad action flick from the '90s you want (start with the filmography of Jean-Claude Van Damme), and it will be much funnier and corny. This is extremely forgettable, and it only has value as a piece of history that would otherwise be lost to the black void of abandoned video games.

Karous: The Beast of Re:Eden is fun in small doses, at least until the extreme difficulty destroys what remained of the entertainment value.

There are so many missed opportunities and strange control choices that it considerably drags the quality down.

There are more enjoyable mech games made on much older hardware that still hold up, like Gun Hazard or Metal Warriors, which were made with Super Nintendo specs. It does not take much to realise an enjoyable mecha game, just some imagination. Damascus Gear Operation Tokyo, sadly, copies the most trite aspects of Diablo without understanding what the appeal was.

Even the most hardcore Swery fans will be put off by how sloppy and tedious The Missing is. Much of the appeal of past Swery games was interacting with interesting and colourful personalities. The Missing has none, unless reading text messages counts, and even then the writing is the same movie-referencing material from past games from this director, and its interrupting of the flow of action. The Nintendo Switch has so many better options for puzzle-platformer adventure games - Limbo, Inside, Flashback or Another World, to name a few. The mediocrity of The Missing might have been a bit more tolerable if it weren't such a janky and busted mess.

So utterly disappointing and flawed in every possible way… The first few hours, most of it can be ignored, and occasionally the flaws can be forgotten, but only briefly before they come storming back to the forefront. An awful, boring, empty, pointless experience. There is, however, a glimmer of hope. It's worth mentioning that there has already been a Bethesda title that was equally as unimpressive: The Elder Scrolls Online - but looking at it now, it has transformed into one of the best MMOs out there. There's always the hope the Fallout 76 develops the same way and becomes something special, but for now, that seems impossible. It's a world away from that.

Collapsed is the sort of title that has good ideas but lacks the polish and follow-through to recommend. Some of the issues might be patchable, such as lack of button reassignment, item crafting rework, or painfully-frequent falling into the floors, but fundamentally this lacks what makes the genre itself so enjoyable. The controls feel far too stiff and combat suffers from wild difficulty swings. While the hope of new gear or skills keeps people going, it is not long before even these fall before the general frustration of playing.

The best parts of Corpse Party: Blood Drive is when the scenario demands only one playable character, isolated in a Twilight Zone Japanese meat-high-school. When these insufferable adolescents banter with each other, it clashes with any semblance of dread or horror. Their dialogue is obnoxious and petty, often commenting on the most superficial. Internal monologue fares much better, but some of the weird fetishised thoughts feel out of place at times. It is shocking that this was localised at all since this is such a weird franchise with some deranged sequences. There are far better Japanese horror games where a young school girl is the protagonist like the Yomawari games or Yumme Nikki; Blood Drive is only for those desperate for some cheap thrills.

Although Pilot Sports is not exactly bad, it is likewise far from compelling in its own right. Most of its best qualities are shared with the far more polished Pilotwings series, with its reliance on homage doing a considerable amount of damage. The content present is fine enough, but that, in itself, is a problem. Fine is not good. Pilot Sports is a below average flight simulator that might scratch that wholly unique Pilotwings itch, but only for so long.

Despite being a fan of the genre, The Revenant Prince is a tough game to recommend. Although rocking a stellar opening, the game is wildly inconsistent in its tone. Far too many things get in the way of simply enjoying the game. These range from incredible difficulty swings, simple movement problems, tone shifts, and odd design choices. The good parts of the story stall out, and the regular game is not enjoyable enough to really encourage continuation of play.

Devoid of both style and substance, Poi is perhaps the least interesting 3D platformer currently available for the Nintendo Switch. Not only is it mechanically shallow with a relatively skill ceiling and floor, the level design rarely, if ever, gets creative enough to mask how lacklustre the platforming can be. To make matters worse, this is just charmless all around thanks to an incredibly safe aesthetic that renders a potentially fascinating world completely unmemorable. This neither reinvents platforming, nor serves as a suitable love letter to the genre, ensuring it is best left forgotten.

The first Mystery Stories was rather disappointing overall, not living up to the standards of previous PC entries. Sadly, this follow-up is only marginally better, yet scores lower due to other developers bringing out far better hidden object games on DS. Mystery Stories: Curse of the Ancient Spirits simply cannot match others on the DS scene nowadays.

Apart from the wonderful 16-bit audio-visuals, Viviette turns out to be nothing more than a repetitive search for key-item after key-item, with a little bit of puzzle-solving thrown in, next to a simple horror tale that won't really creep you out that much.